The long-standing grievance regarding the certainly unsavoury
and probably insanitary ditches which has vexed the St Kilda
Council and the Drainage Board reached something like
finality yesterday.

At the inquiry the facts of the case were further laid before
Mr W. S. Short, as representative of the Public Works
Department, and the board's case was very clearly put by Mr
Small, chairman, of the Drainage Board Works Committee.

He stated that the board's policy was first to deal with the
disposal of house sewage, and then, when funds were
available, with storm water. He submitted tabulated
statements showing clearly how much more liberally St Kilda
had been treated in drainage matters compared with other
parts of the board's area.

The evidence of the board's engineer showed that he had
recommended the disinfection of the ditches and replacing the
slime with sand. Mr Short suggested that this offer should be
considered by the St Kilda Council and after a brief
consultation by the representatives of both parties, it was
agreed that the whole question should be left in the hands of
Dr Champtaloup and the board's engineer (Mr Slinger).

Mr Short congratulated both sides on the understanding
arrived at, and expressed his recognition of the difficult
problem before the Drainage Board in dealing with the
disposal of storm water that accumulated on the St Kilda
flat.

• At Clinton this week a youth from Waiwera South, was
charged under the Defence Act with failing to render personal
service while being enrolled in the Clinton Senior Cadet
company. He pleaded not guilty.

Captain J. R. Henderson, in charge of group 16, and
Sergeant-major Connolly gave evidence to the effect that the
youth had been passed as physically fit in September 1911,
and had been duly enrolled, but since then had not attended
any of the parades. His objection to attending was that his
parents were members of the Society of Friends, and military
training was against the tenets of this religion. The
officers had interviewed the lad's mother, and had explained
the position that on account of religious objections the boy
could be exempted from doing military training, but he must
perform physical training.

His mother would not allow her son to attend the parades,
however, being advised by other Friends that even physical
training under a military officer would be against the rules
of the society. On being questioned by his Worship (Mr J. R.
Bartholomew) the youth, a well-built young fellow of 17
years, nearly 6ft in height, appeared as if he had not any
idea on the subject himself. The magistrate adjourned the
case for a month to allow of an arrangement being arrived at
meanwhile, and said that the lad did not seem to have the
conscientious objections which his parents had.

• The record-breaking motorist is, it appears, a bashful
creature when he sees a constable in his vicinity (says the
Press). In the Christchurch Magistrate's Court on Wednesday
one of the presiding justices asked if it were the custom for
constables to hold up their hands when a motorist was
exceeding the speed limit.

"No notice is taken of a constable in such a case," said
sub-inspector McGrath, "the motorist who is exceeding the
speed limit, when he sees a constable, exceeds the speed
limit still more, and gets away as fast as ever he can."